Sea surface temperature‐related response of precipitation in northern South America according to a WRF multi‐decadal simulation

Martínez, J. Alejandro; Arias, Paola A.; Castro, Christopher L.; Chang, Hsin I.; Ochoa-Moya, Carlos A.

doi:10.1002/joc.5940

Cited by 15 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 52 publications

(70 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Since the YSU‐Noah combination has been used in previous studies over the region (e.g., Martinez et al., 2018), in this study we considered this PBL‐LSM combination as our control simulation (YN hereafter; see Table 2). Other parameterizations are listed in Table 1 and their use is based on previous studies (e.g., Jiménez‐Sánchez et al., 2019, 2020; Junquas et al., 2018; Moya‐Alvarez et al., 2018; Oglesby et al., 2016; Posada‐Marin et al., 2019; Zhang & Wang 2017).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Noah simulates soil moisture and temperature in 4 layers, down to 2 m below the surface. This scheme is widely used, including previous studies over the region of interest (Crosbie & Serra, 2014; Jiménez‐Sánchez et al., 2019, 2020; Martinez et al., 2018; Moya‐Alvarez et al., 2018). The CLM scheme is based on the LSM of the Coupled Earth System Model and is more oriented to climate modeling, including more details in the representation of hydrological and biogeophysical processes (Oleson et al., 2010).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The Orinoco Low‐Level Jet and the Cross‐Equatorial Moisture Transport Over Tropical South America: Lessons From Seasonal WRF Simulations

et al. 2022

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A study of the simulation of the Orinoco Low‐Level Jet (OLLJ) and the cross‐equatorial moisture transport over tropical South America using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model is presented. The focus is on the diurnal cycle and monthly means during one December‐January‐February (DJF) season (2003–2004). The sensitivity of the OLLJ and cross‐equatorial moisture transport to the representation of surface fluxes and turbulence is explored by using two different Land Surface Models (LSM) and three Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL) schemes. Different LSMs produce large differences in the sensible heat flux over the Orinoco basin, but no substantial differences in the flow at the entrance of the OLLJ. However, these changes in surface fluxes were associated with a change in the low‐level pressure gradient between the Orinoco and Amazon basins, and with up to 10% change in the simulated cross‐equatorial moisture transport. The largest effects from different PBL schemes were found in the low‐level flow near the Andes cordillera, and on the low‐level southward cross‐equatorial flow during the daytime. One of the PBL schemes exhibited a reduced moisture transport on the eastern flank of the Andes but enhanced southward transport around the core of the cross‐equatorial moisture flux. Another PBL scheme produced a stronger net cross‐equatorial moisture transport, with enhanced precipitation over the Andes‐Amazon region by up to 30% during the afternoon and up to 13% in the daily mean. Improved observations over the region are needed to evaluate which combination best represents the flow.

show abstract

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Orinoco Low‐Level Jet and the Cross‐Equatorial Moisture Transport Over Tropical South America: Lessons From Seasonal WRF Simulations

et al. 2022

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The results show a skilful forecast of precipitation and temperature up to 7 d, in particular over humid and temperate climates. Another simulation at 25 km resolution over northern South America and the Caribbean Sea shows that positive biases in precipitation originate from a misrepresentation in the regional flow and Pacific sea surface temperatures (Martinez et al, 2019). In the case of Peru, most of the regional simulations focus on the Andes and the western slopes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sensitivity of precipitation in the highlands and lowlands of Peru to physics parameterization options in WRFV3.8.1

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. The performance of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model version 3.8.1 at convection-permitting scale is evaluated by means of several sensitivity simulations over southern Peru down to a grid resolution of 1 km, whereby the main focus is on the domain with 5 km horizontal resolution. Different configurations of microphysics, cumulus, longwave radiation, and planetary boundary layer schemes are tested. For the year 2008, the simulated precipitation amounts and patterns are compared to gridded observational data sets and weather station data gathered from Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil. The temporal correlation of simulated monthly accumulated precipitation against in situ and gridded observational data show that the most challenging regions for WRF are the slopes along both sides of the Andes, i.e. elevations between 1000 and 3000 m above sea level. The pattern correlation analysis between simulated precipitation and station data suggests that all tested WRF setups perform rather poorly along the northeastern slopes of the Andes during the entire year. In the southwestern region of the domain the performance of all setups is better except for the driest period (May–September). The results of the pattern correlation to the gridded observational data sets show that all setups perform reasonably well except along both slopes during the dry season. The precipitation patterns reveal that the typical setup used over Europe is too dry throughout the entire year, and that the experiment with the combination of the single-moment 6-class microphysics scheme and the Grell–Freitas cumulus parameterization in the domains with resolutions larger than 5 km, suitable for East Africa, does not perfectly apply to other equatorial regions such as the Amazon basin in southeastern Peru. The experiment with the Stony Brook University microphysics scheme and the Grell-Freitas cumulus parameterization tends to overestimate precipitation over the northeastern slopes of the Andes, but enforces a positive feedback between the soil moisture, air temperature, relative humidity, mid-level cloud cover and, finally, precipitation. Hence, this setup provides the most accurate results over the Peruvian Amazon, and particularly over the department of Madre de Dios, which is a region of interest because it is considered a biodiversity hotspot of Peru. The robustness of this particular configuration of the model is backed up by similar results obtained during wet climate conditions observed in 2012.

show abstract

“…On the other hand, the representation of the CLLJ in the model simulations was more intense (less intense) during the boreal winter (summer) for some physical configurations. Martínez et al (2019) argued that wet biases over land areas of Central America and northern South America in a climatology (1982−2012) from the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model are linked to excessive moisture convergence. These authors suggest that regional precipitation biases are determined not only by the cumulus parameterization schemes but also by simulated circulation patterns.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sensitivity of precipitation and atmospheric low-level circulation patterns to domain size and choice of parameterization schemes in RegCM4.4 over Central America

2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The sensitivity of regional climate model simulations to domain size and position is becoming increasingly important for generating reliable climate scenarios. In this study, the Central America CORDEX domain (CCA) at 50 km horizontal resolution with a relaxation zone of 10° around the boundaries (CCA+) was taken as the basis to increase domain size in the RegCM4.4 model. The low-level circulation and precipitation patterns over Central America, the western Caribbean Sea, and the eastern tropical Pacific do not show strong sensitivity to domain size changes for an area increment of 18, 32, and 52% with respect to the size of CCA+. The physical configuration in RegCM4.4 has a greater impact on the representation of relevant climate characteristics and atmospheric processes. Simulated 925 hPa winds over the Caribbean low-level jet (CLLJ) region show unrealistic winter and summer intensities, especially in July. Similar issues were found in other studies for the CCA domain, using different models and physical configurations. A reduction of the critical Richardson number in the selected planetary boundary layer scheme resulted in little change in the strength of the summer component of the CLLJ. The model simulations do not completely capture key regional precipitation patterns such as the mid-summer drought, due to limitations in adequately representing low-level circulation. However, simulations using the Grell cumulus parameterization perform relatively better than those using a mixed scheme (Grell over land-Emanuel over ocean).

show abstract

Sea surface temperature‐related response of precipitation in northern South America according to a WRF multi‐decadal simulation

Cited by 15 publications

References 52 publications

The Orinoco Low‐Level Jet and the Cross‐Equatorial Moisture Transport Over Tropical South America: Lessons From Seasonal WRF Simulations

The Orinoco Low‐Level Jet and the Cross‐Equatorial Moisture Transport Over Tropical South America: Lessons From Seasonal WRF Simulations

Sensitivity of precipitation in the highlands and lowlands of Peru to physics parameterization options in WRFV3.8.1

Sensitivity of precipitation and atmospheric low-level circulation patterns to domain size and choice of parameterization schemes in RegCM4.4 over Central America

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About